Community Outreach

The last day finally arrived. At this point I was sad to be going, but also ready. I love to travel, but I also like spontaneity. Highly structured trips have their pros and cons. I would not have been able to do or see so much, at such a good price, in such a short time, if it hadn't been so planned. The only con is that I really wanted to see more of Southern Nicaragua and the beaches, but you can't do it all in a week. I also wanted to focus on the rice research opportunities that I now had. I had so many thoughts at this point I was up at 5 am writing down ideas and looking up journals online. We did have a fun filled day ahead of us though, and I wanted to make sure I enjoyed it to the last.

We started with breakfast at the hotel as usual. Gallo pinto for sure, one last time. We got the breakfast for free, but looking back I wish I had gone into the street to see what would have been available there. I hardly ate any street food on this trip. Then we went to the open air market. It was very similar to Senegal. People selling from booths and the filthy ground. Meat sitting outside and that awesome flesh and fish smell.....I felt a little bad for those that had stayed out late! Our goal for the morning was to get as much food as we could with just $40. There were some required items like beans, rice, coffee, and sugar. The rest we could choose. Cristina was my partner. She is from Venezuela so we had zero issues with language barriers. The other students had to struggle a little more. Cristina and I were able to get a lot of additional things for our money like plantains and garlic. She was really familiar with things they could use in the dishes they usually prepare. It was amazing how far $40 went there! We then all met back at the hotel and shared what we had gotten. It was interesting to hear the other groups describe why they got what they did. Myra and Brad got toothbrushes. I hadn't thought about the fact that most families would not spend their money on that, and it would be a nice treat.

Finally, we put all the food in the van. Lorenzo took us to a poor area on the edge the city and we handed out the food to families in need. I feel like we were finally seeing how many of the people live there. We were out of the tourist area and experiencing the real lives of Nicaraguans. It felt nice to give them something. People were very happy to have food to put on their tables. the kids were pretty cute too. This was not a sustainable method of helping people, and it probably made us feel better more than it actually helped them. I hope that they at least had one good night of eating until they were full.

Check out these videos of the morning.

Next, we went to a lakeside restaurant and had a traditional fish dish called "Gapote" with "tipitapi" sauce. It was a whole fried fish, and was really good. The view was amazing, and we enjoyed discussing our week and making jokes. I fed a little kitty some of my leftover fish. She reminded me of Kiki (whom I was missing just a little).

This wasn't an alligator. I didn't understand what they said it was. Maybe a caiman?

From lunch we went to a school where we talked to little kids. I'm not really a kid person. I would have passed on this. I'm glad I couldn't though because regardless of how I feel about them, kids seem to love me. It's like when a dog senses you're afraid of it, and comes after you. We had a good time chatting in the classroom, and then played some soccer. You should never run barefoot on the hot cement. It will literally burn your feet off (see my bandaged feet below). It was a rough way to end our last excursion. I hobbled back to the hotel and tried to bandage them up as well as I could for the trip home. 

I have a video of me popping the blisters later, but I'll spare you all.

We took some pictures with the kids and left them enough vitamins for a month. These will be distributed with their lunches. I felt bad that it was only a month, and others in the group felt the same. After we got back Chelsea and I decided to try to get them vitamins for a year. If you want to help these cuties check out our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicaraguan-Nutrition-Project/414370228769909?fref=ts

We hung out at the hotel for few hours and then it was time to go. The other students wanted to try Tiptop, the fast food chicken I tried on my first day, so on our way to the airport I had more Nicaraguan fast food. A sad last meal, but it was unique. That cole slaw..."kinda weird, but I dug it." We had some time to hang out in the airport together before we had to go to our separate flights. Then it was all over. All of a sudden I was headed back to the U.S. with a load of memories, new friends, and future research opportunities. It was a great trip! Thank you to everyone who was able to make it happen!!

Our last moments in Nica. What a gorgeous crew!

Big Farm, Bigger Opportunity

This was the second to last day. After breakfast we started another 3 hour drive, but this time to Altamira. We finally visited the rice farms! The setting of the rice fields against the mountains was so beautiful. This farm was owned by Manolo Porro. He produces 60% of the nationally grown rice in Nicaragua. I think the farm was 10,000 acres. He first asked if we had any questions. I only had about a million, so I started right in with "What's your most problematic insect pest?". Then asked a few other things before I felt like I should just let him show us some things. As he showed us his fields and the research they were conducting I asked more questions. He had answers to them all and was very progressive. The system there had a lot of similarities to Louisiana production, but there were clear differences as well. First of all they can have 2 seasons in a year. A rainy season planting and a dry season planting. Their biggest insect pest is not the weevil we have here, though they have that too, but a little plant hopper. This plant hopper transmits viruses to the rice. They use some LSU developed varieties called Clearfield that are herbicide resistant. These varieties have been bred this way and so are not considered GMO's. GMOs are illegal in Nicaragua so they have to rely on more traditional breeding technology. There are also some cultural practices like burning fields, which aren't very sustainable. Women are generally not involved in administration, but Manny said this is something he would like to change. I'm curious if it's due to traditional roles, childcare, or educational differences between women and men. It's probably a combination.

Manolo is an LSU alumni, and as I said, he has very progressive ideas for the farm. He told us while we were there that he dreams of making a collaboration with LSU. I was happy to hear this as I dream of working internationally. After talking to him about it a bit more, he offered to fund me to return and do research on his farm! I am definitely going to take him up on this amazing offer, and already have started planning with my advisor. I need to finish my required courses at LSU first. It's a good thing I have been taking extra classes! The hard part is to focus for the next year until I can go back. My notebook is currently a jumble of potential projects. I really want to talk to the women about how they perceive their roles on the farm, and so much room for studying induced resistance! 

Manny the farm owner. He's probably answering a question I asked here.

Even the tequila is calling me back!

That night we went to JC's favorite restaurant in Granada with Lorenzo. It was excellent! Plantains and cheese, steak, Victoria Frost, and Flor de Cana (rum). Exquisite.  I can see why he ate there every night of the trip. I was pretty tired that night, and had a lot on my mind from the day. Plus we had been out in Granada multiple nights and I didn't think I was missing anything. I decided to make it an early night and wake up early the next day. It was the last night, and the other students stayed out until very very late. I guess I'm getting old :)

Just Another Group of Tourists

With only a couple days left on the trip this day was dedicated to being tourists. Another delicious hotel breakfast. I went for the fruit plate this day as my stomach was still feeling the Flor de Cana. We went zip lining, boating, fed monkeys, and hiked around an active volcano! It was a fantastic day, and up to this point the best so far for me. I had been wanting to see monkeys all week!

First zip lining at Mombacho Volcano. I'm adventurous and usually don't get too nervous about things like this. Once I was about to leave the platform though I did have a little surge of "Oh F#*#". It was so awesome though! I went upside down like a bad ass, and would definitely do it again. There were a few different ways you could go and most of us tried them out. The guys who took us were very nice, and probably have one of the best jobs in the world. They took lots of photos for us. It's a great way to see some scenery, and I think it would be even better in the rainy season.

Lunch was shrimp pasta on the street. Seafood is not great for hangovers, but it was still pretty good. The fishy smell and the heat did get to me a bit, and I was ready to be on the next thing pretty soon. A mentally disturbed man approached us while we were eating. He became very agitated and the servers literally chased him off with a broom. This reminded me again of Senegal where there are not facilities, or any structured healthcare to help those with mental illness. A little bit of a dark spot in an otherwise perfect day.

Next, we went out on Lake Nicaragua. This was the highlight of the day, and second best part of the whole trip for me. It was so beautiful, peaceful, and just amazing. There were little houses on the many small islands, and finally monkeys!! There were women selling coconut cookies as you got on the boat (and beers too). They told us we could feed the monkeys on the islands if we saw any so I got some. When we got to one of these islands the monkeys came down from the trees and grabbed the cookies gently out of my hand. They had soft little leathery hands and were so docile. I shared some with the rest of the group so we could all have the experience. OMG so cute! there were two species of monkey on the island. The orange ones were not afraid of people at all. I'm sure tourists feed them often. I would totally live on one of these islands after I retire. Or now. Yep, just take me back now!

That's me feeding a  monkey by hand!

There are a lot of islands with awesome houses

The lake was really big.

Such amazing views!!

                                               

The Masaya Volcano was pretty cool. We went up the side to a small museum first. It was very interesting. It told about the history of the volcano, the area, and the local folklore surrounding it. It was still active and we went up to the crater to see the inside. There was so much smoke we couldn't see into it very far. The whole area was very very dry, and there was no wildlife at all. In the rainy season I bet it would be very pretty and have more animals.

This is the area below where lava has previously flown.

We were then going to go to an artesian market, but it was so hot and I think we all were happy to save that for another time. We went back to Granada, showered up, rested, and went out for dinner. I had octopus. It was in a creamy garlic sauce, and if it hadn't been so rich I would have had another plate! I got Brad to try it with me and he wasn't a fan due to the texture. Then we went to another place and had some drinks while sitting on the street. A man came by who had maracas. They were painted (by his mother), but he could carve any name and some designs into them. He did it very fast and it was such a cool transformation to watch.

Octopus!

Before he begins

The final product.

Chelsea and I stayed up late this night and ended up talking to another group of Americans, and a kid who lived there. His job was to sell palm fronds that he folded into flowers or grasshoppers. His life story was of course a bit sad, and it was very representative of the limited opportunities kids have there. He basically had no choice but to work all evening into the night. He also told us about the difficulties of trying to go to school. There are only a few requirements, but even those expenses are too much for him. His current situation is not unique there, and many kids struggle to get an education.

Tobacco Tuesday

The farm owner Sergio.

This was the start of my fourth full day in Nicaragua. I was loving every minute of it at this point. It was clear from last night that I am older than the other students and cannot keep up. I did my best though. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Again I forget what I had, but it was good. There was almost no food that wasn't spectacular the whole week. I may have had gallo pinto again because YUM! It was so good. Most days breakfast included some version of eggs as well.

Then we all piled into the van and went to a tobacco farm in Esteli. The owner was Sergio Torres an heir to the original owners. Like coffee there is a lot of work that goes into cigars. This specific farm does organic cigars, and is the only place in the world that does. The market for those is mostly Germany if I remember correctly. Farming tobacco can be a challenge here (especially organics) as they deal with white files and tobacco hornworm. I saw a few of the white flies. They utilize many IPM techniques, from insecticides to netting, and a combination of hand weeding and herbicides.

We walked through the fields as the workers carried on with their tasks. When it is time to harvest they have to be careful. The filler tobacco will be cut up, but the leaves for wrappers need to remain whole. The filler and wrappers leaves are from different kinds of plants. When the plants are ready to be harvested "someone small" cuts the leaves. After they are cut they go to a barn and are hung and dried. Women use needles to run string through the end of the leaves, and men hang them up high on long stick poles.

Far down the row a couple guys are cutting the leaves
and sending them down this yellow conveyor.

Peyton and I in a tobacco field. See the netting above us?
It protects from too much sun and insects.

Inside one of the barns where they dry the leaves.

We then took a lunch break and went to a steak place. I don't know the cuts well and ordered a kind of fatty one by accident. This was my least favorite meal, but it was my fault. Dr. Bunch ate some of the fat off my steak eeewwwwww. I'm glad it didn't go to waste though! Here Peyton had some chicken that I think she talked about for the rest of the week. It did look pretty good. I think at this point I had already gained 5 lbs. Not that it stopped me from continuing to eat all of the good food I came across.

After we saw the farms and how people collected and hung the leaves we went to the factory. It seemed like a great place for the employees. He offered daycare, on site healthcare, and transportation for those living further away. I personaly wouldn't be jumping for a job there though. The air inside was really hard to breathe because of the ammonia from the plants. Women rolled the cigars by hand and their fingers looked so stained. I bet they get nicotine highs cutaneously. Men put together the tobacco that goes on the inside and the women roll it. Sergio said "Men build the house, and women decorate it". One job cannot exist without the other. They are equally important. This is supposed to promote gender equality.

This machine tests the airflow.
If it's not up to 'snuff' it goes back to the team that rolled it.

We went back to Granada again and stayed at the same hotel. I roomed with Chelsea again as we were now accustomed to each others..... behaviors. Thanks again for helping me out of that trap of a bra ;). We all got showers and went out to eat again. I got a good old cheeseburger. The food near the hotel in this area of Granada was so Americanized it didn't really matter, and I always like to try the local takes on American food. Cristina and Shelly joined us this night and the service was pretty slow. Then we all went back to Kelly's the dance place and had another amazing night. I met a really cool chick named Suzie from Costa Rica. I could not keep up with her Latina dancing! So much fun!! We stayed out until around 1, and then I thought about zip lining the next day and decided it was time to drink some water.

Cool Beans

This day was all about coffee farming in Matagalpa. We started the day the same as the last with breakfast at the hotel. I forget what I tried that day, but I feel like it included eggs and ham. We had stayed out dancing the night before, but we were all pretty bright eyed as we set out. It was a 3 hour drive to get there, and I was hoping to see some wildlife. Alas, still only dogs, goats, and insects. The mountains were breathtaking though. I felt like I could look out the window all day. Especially after having been in Louisiana for nearly a year! You can see from the videos how dry it is, but how some areas still have some green. Lorenzo was a dear again about answering 100 or so questions.

When we got to the farm we met the owner Mario Cerna (pictured below). He gave us a presentation about coffee farming and his farm specifically. We sipped on some of his finest with little cookies as we listened. I didn't know anything about coffee production so it was very informative. I never imagined how labor intensive the process was! He produces a ridiculous amount of coffee, with so many acres of land, and a ton of workers. Sorry that's pretty vague, but I don't know the numbers anymore. He is the second largest producer in the country. I did write in my journal "huge" and "intense" referring to his operation.

After talking in his home we went to one of his farms. The coffee plant propagation reminded me of Senegalese tree nurseries. They had something like 80,000 plants there. All of the coffee was intercropped with cocoa and plantains. The shade of the plantains helps conserve water. He also had a tall grass wind break. It was a very sustainable process. Way more advanced than I had expected any agriculture there to be. These things are part of his UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certifications.

These are a couple of the guys who worked for Mario.

This is the wind break.

Coffee and Plantains!

I saw some pretty insects on the farm and was hoping to see some monkeys as we went up the mountain to a laguna to eat. The video above is part of the ride up there. I rode in the back of the truck and it was really really bumpy. For every so many acres of farmed land he has to keep some forested area. This helps maintain sustainability by protecting his water supply, and providing habitat for animals. I didn't end up seeing anything, but we could hear all kinds of life moving around out there. We ate our sandwiches, chips, and soda next to the beautiful scenery, did a little photo shoot, and then went back down the mountain. This road was more like a trail, and this time I chose the cab.

The beautiful laguna where we had lunch. It was very foggy, and it was raining a 

What a view from where the beans dry!

He then took us to his "dry mill". This is where the coffee beans get processed. They are sun dried and then sorted by machine. The last step involves women hand picking bad beans off the conveyor belt. He said they occasionally steal beans by "putting them in the boob". They can get as much as a pound a day out in their bras! So they have to be inspected before leaving. I was of the opinion he should just have them work topless like in American Gangster.

These are coffee beans drying outside.

Finally, we went to do a tasting. It's like wine tasting in that you do not swallow it. I was really surprised in the difference between the good and bad coffee. He called instant coffees like Folgers "shitty" coffee, and man he was so right! I don't really drink coffee, but if I were to drink coffee it would be this guys stuff. I brought some back for my major advisor as a gift for letting me have the week off.

Coffee tasting

After the long long day we went to a little cabin on a farm. It was at Selva Negra Ecolodge and Coffee Estate. Their dinner menu included beef and vegetables grown right there. Ecotourism at it's finest. I had re-fried beans and plantains with cheese as an appetizer. They were so good. I could really live off that. Seriously forever, re-fried beans, plantians, and cheese. I also had a steak. The steak in Nicaragua is so good. I don't eat much beef at home either, but when it's what they are known for you have to try it, and it was worth it! There was this parsley garlic sauce that I couldn't get enough of. I'm so hungry writing this that I want to fly down there now. There were geese all around the lake and restaurant area. They were so obnoxious as geese will be. Honking and begging for food, or hissing if you came near their nests.

We ended the night with all of the students and Lorenzo drinking some Flor de Cana Rum in the cabin. Myra was choosing the tunes, and Mercedes came out and danced. We all had some alter ego nicknames. Of course Smemily was there. We made so many jokes and had such a good time. The worrier in me was a little concerned we were going to keep other people awake. I don't know when I started being conscious of others while drinking. It's a new development for sure. Lorenzo showed his true colors and his laugh made me laugh so much harder. Such a great group! Spring Break!!

The lake right outside our cabin.